Discuss the five major trends that have contributed to the evolution of public relations.

Public Relations 1

Running Head : Public Relations

Public Relations

Understanding the Trends that Lead to Effective PR

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School

Essay assignment illustrating the trends in PR that have led to its progression

Professor 's Name

March 2007

Public Relations 2

Public Relations , also known as PR , is an important part of effective management . Without it , any person attempting to succeed in business might as well call it quits . Advising the public on the type of services an establishment provides , changes within an organization and gathering

new business are all functions derived from efficient PR . Today , PR has graduated from small luncheons downtown to international conversations held in the comfort of a home office and everything in between . Current increased importance of public opinion , growth of big institutions technical innovations in communications , increased incidence of change conflict and confrontation in society , and extraordinary growth of the World Wide Web are all fundamental players in the progression of PR Gaining successful results with a public relations plan only calls for a little go-getter ' in one 's mind-set , and the knowledge of current PR trends

It 's hard to believe that for the past 50 years we 've managed to utilize public relations to our best advantage . It just so happens , however that of those 50 years , the past 5 years have offered extraordinary innovations in technology and resources that have created a major breeding ground for effective PR . Increased importance of public opinion tops the list on impacting PR . Yesterday 's no-namer 's are now among the best bloggers , or self publishers , out there (Murphy , 2005 Additionally , growth of big institutions , such as discount retailer Wal-Mart , influences public relations . The scope of Wal-Mart is no longer toiletries and fairly-priced clothing . The company has spanned out to reach all consumers by providing limited financial services optometry needs and even vacation options (Wal-Mart .com , 2000 Technical innovations in communications are also am impacting factor in the future of public relations . Cell phones , lap tops and email are just a few of the innovations that make it impossible to be left out of any loop (Murphy , 2005 . Increased incidence of change , as well as conflict and confrontation are

Public Relations 3

also among the list of impacting factors . Change is inevitable and can cause conflict conflict requires confrontation . Eliminating issues relating to public relations are musts when effectiveness ' is sought The extraordinary growth of the internet and World Wide Web are additional factors impacting PR . The internet has enabled us to network like never before . As another source for media , the mere discovery of the World Wide Web was , by far , 10 steps in the forward ' direction

Other trends that have assisted in the evolution of public relations are noteworthy . These trends include more noise , or the amount of information people are flooded with , growth in direct communication less control in PR sourcing , and search engine marketing (Murphy , 2005 These trends , or tools , rather , have greatly affected the way we reach out . It is important...